When Hulk Hogan signed with WCW in 1994, the professional wrestling industry was forever changed in a way that nobody could have imagined.

Sure, Hogan was the biggest name in wrestling at the time. But WCW wasn't on par with Vince McMahon's WWE promotion. It simply didn't have the same marketing, following and financial success.

But when Hogan pulled off the shocking and unforgettable heel turn at the 1996 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, WCW quickly closed the gap with WWE. And before Vince knew it, WCW had emerged as the most watched wrestling program in the country.

With Hogan and company President Eric Bischoff leading WCW to the top, Vince had no choice but to make drastic changes to his show. In 1997, he transitioned towards the "Attitude Era," a more adult oriented product.

And the rebellious, rule-breaking 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin led the charge. He engaged in a feud with the WWE chairman, and Austin's mega superstar status became a game-changer in the Monday Night Wars.

On his 83 Weeks podcast (h/t Fightful.com), Bischoff suggested that the legend of the Texas Rattlesnake wouldn't have happened if Hogan hadn't joined WCW in 1994. Bischoff fired Austin from the company in 1995, well before he developed into a main event star for WWE.

"I mean, it's hypothetical at this point, but recognizing the hypothetical nature of the question and therefore my response, I would suggest that we probably-- had Hulk Hogan and I never had a conversation, had Hulk Hogan never come to WCW, is it likely that we would have ended up with Steve Austin and Ric Flair? Absolutely. Makes sense. Can't imagine that not ever happening had Hogan not come along.

I'm also going to say since this is hypothetical, that had Hogan not come along in WCW, had we moved forward with Ric Flair and Steve Austin, had had I ended up not firing Steve Austin, you know, all of those hypothetical things that could have happened had Hogan not come to WCW. Had we not shifted and pivoted, as you say, you know all of our efforts to Flair and Hogan, I think that Austin and Flair would have had an amazing match. Austin probably would have remained in WCW for an indefinite period of time had Hogan not come along, had we not shifted gears and we wouldn't be talking about Stone Cold Steve Austin and Austin 3:16 today, 20-some-odd years later, it wouldn't have happened...

So as we kind of look back and what if hypothetically this and hypothetically that, had Steve Austin (and) Ric Flair move forward without Hogan in the picture, none of us would have even heard of Stone Cold. Steve Austin to this day would've been a great match, but it certainly would. It would not have advanced Steve's career."

While Bischoff and WCW signed away many of Vince's former main event stars (Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Roddy Piper, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Lex Luger, among others), Vince and WWE actually found talents that had been underused in WCW.

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This obviously included Austin, but also cruiserweights such as Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio. Other all-time greats like Edge and Triple H also worked briefly in WCW.

While WCW continued to rely too much on its veteran stars, Vince and WWE allowed guys like Austin, The Rock and D-Generation X to lead a new era of professional wrestling. Vince's willingness to adapt, aided by the rise of Austin, ultimately helped WWE put away WCW in the wars.

Bischoff Makes Some Great Points

It's always fun to play the "what if" game, but Bischoff explained himself well here. If they had never landed Hogan, perhaps the icon of Steve Austin doesn't take place. Of course, WCW probably wouldn't have ever reached the top of the wrestling world if they never landed Hogan to begin with. It was arrival that put WCW on the wrestling map, and his heel turn marked the turning point for the company, after all.

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